Missouri AG sues utility company after fatal explosion in Lexington; City asks residents to hard hit businesses
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed suit Monday against a utility company for what he deemed to be a failure to properly mark gas lines in Lexington, Missouri.
Bailey claims Liberty Utilities (Midstates Natural Gas) Corporation violated the Missouri Underground Facility Safety and Damage Prevention Act in a “preventable tragedy.”
“These companies must take their responsibilities seriously,” Bailey said Monday. “The law is clear, the process is simple, and the consequences of failure are catastrophic.”
An explosion on April 9 resulted in damage to multiple homes in Lexington and killed a 5-year-old boy, while also critically injuring the boy’s father Jacob Cunningham and his 10-year-old sister Cami.
“We’re holding Liberty Utilities able to ensure that every utility in Missouri does its due diligence to prevent future disasters,” Bailey said.
The lawsuit, filed in Lafayette County by Bailey, claims the utility company incorrectly told an excavator that gas pipelines at a Lexington job site had been properly marked. Under that assumption, Bailey claims the contractor began excavation work and struck an unmarked gas main. Natural gas then leaked into the community before igniting in a fiery blaze that damaged the community and left a child dead.
“Tragedies like this are exactly why this law exists,” Bailey said. “It’s imperative that companies follow the law -- not just to avoid penalties, but to protect lives. When they fail to do so, my office will hold them able.”
The suit asks the court to force the company to pay $10,000 per day in a civil penalty “for each day or part thereof that Defendant violated the Missouri Underground Facility Safety and Damage Prevention Law.”
It also asks the judge to require managers and supervisors to participate in training programs for excavation education and Missouri 811.
You can read the entirety of the lawsuit here.
Bailey isn’t the only individual to file a lawsuit over the incident. The surviving victims of the explosion filed a filed suit against the companies for the damage to their home.
As the community recovers from the deadly explosion, the city is asking for help. Lexington restaurants took a hard hit from being shut down with no gas for days. Now the city is calling on families who can to eat out more this month to help offset costs and give eateries a much-needed boost.
Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.
